Harmonic Persona: Pony Festival
by LoneWolf218
Summary: Equestria is on the verge of a golden age. Nightmare Moon has been cleansed, the Crystal Empire has returned, Discord no longer seeks total chaos, and most importantly a fourth Alicorn princess has taken her throne. But during Twilight's first flight, a mysterious colt falls out of the sky, one that can either secure the world's finest hour… or usher in its destruction.
1. A Desperate Plea

**Harmonic Persona: Pony Festival  
**

By LoneWolf218

AN: I don't own the Persona or My Little Pony series, and I am making no money from this story. The cover picture is not mine either, it belongs to ThatFatBrony on Deviantart ( www. deviantart art/Dark -Hour-in- Ponyville- poster-version -340654686), who was kind enough to let me use it.

Prologue: A Desperate Plea

To stand in the realm of human though was akin to standing in the void of deep space. Countless lights shone like stars, each representing the thoughts and feelings of one of the billions of people who called Earth their home. If one were to look closely, one could even claim to see some connections between the lights, marking the all-important bonds that made life worth living, though these would be faint if they were even visible.

Like space, however, there was a great deal of darkness between the lights. Most of these divisions were harmless, representing the natural gaps in space and time that separated various humans. Others were more malevolent, dark, twisted ideas born of the depths of the human psyche.

From one particularly black area of space, a roar echoed, and moments later, a massive, twisted form rose. Its dual heads shrieked hatefully as it looked to rend and tear anything in its path with vicious claws, for it was a savage thing, knowing nothing of love or kindness or mercy. Its cries spoke only of ruin, misery, and a burning desire to end all life; the very emotions that had given it its existence. Snarling, it turned towards its goal, the grand, golden gate that stood at one "end" of the stars, though this place held no true beginning or end.

As the dark beast stomped towards its goal, the horrid red eyes that made up its only light were fixed on the tiny dot near the center of the gate, connected by several lines. A closer look revealed that the "lines" were strands of barbed wire, binding the "dot," a concrete statue, to the gate and holding it shut. Before it could do more that stare, however, a voice stopped the creature in its tracks.

"That's far enough."

Boiling crimson eyes cast around the starscape for a sign of who or what had addressed it, finally settling on a small, blue-clad woman standing in front of the gate. She wasn't looking at the creature, her gaze instead fixed on the statue bound to the gate. The creature roared, both sets of eyes blazing with hate.

The woman, however, was not perturbed. "You are not welcome here, Erebus," she said, still not turning around even as her short silver hair was ruffled by the force of the monster's challenge. "I am busy. Leave, or I shall make you."

Erebus didn't seem particularly impressed by the puny girl, as it continued to advance. Several steps later, it raised one of its massive limbs to swat the woman aside.

"Oh, very well," the woman said, turning as her golden eyes flashed. "I will not let you disturb him."

Erebus' first blow fell, an attack with enough force behind it to crush skyscrapers into rubble. As it slammed into the woman, however, it stopped dead as she casually raised one of her own hands to meet it, leaving the other to hug the massive tome she carried. The dark creature howled as it threw its full weight against the annoyance in front of it, but the woman simply sighed.

"I am one who governs power, creature. You are no match for me." With a simple shove, she sent Erebus tumbling backwards. "Now, begone."

Erebus shrieked in rage, rolling to its feet and lunging forward again, spewing dark magic at the velvet-clad woman as it came. She brushed the attack aside with a wave of her gloved hand before balancing the spine of her grimoire on her other hand and letting it fall open.

"If you will not leave, then I will destroy you," she said as a card appeared from the depths of the book and started hovering in front of her face. Finally, she gave a wave of her free hand and shattered the card like glass. As blue light started rising from the point where the card had floated, a shape appeared in the cloud, finally resolving itself into what looked like a small, winged girl.

A normal observer would have wondered why the creature that had been summoned was so small and helpless looking, especially compared with the charging beast.

These worries would have then been quickly dispelled when Pixie called down the full fury of the one of the most powerful spells in the universe: Megidolaon.

Erebus roared in agony as the three balls of purple light impacted the ground in front of it and erupted with a force comparable to a small nuclear explosion. Massive beams of purple light stabbed through its dark flesh, casting it back into the darkness even as it started to break apart. With a final wail, it was gone.

The velvet-clad woman closed her book with a satisfied nod before glancing around. There were faint fracture lines around her feet as well as deeper ones where the Megidolaon had exploded. Worse, several of the nearest lights were blinking slightly, indicating that the humans they represented were undergoing stress, stress likely caused by her actions.

"Oh dear, I do believe I overdid it a bit," the woman muttered before opening her tome again and recalling the creature. "Diarahan!" she commanded, and a moment later soft light played over the various bits of damage her spell had caused. Soon, things settled back to the acceptable levels, if not quite the way they had been before Erebus had begun his rampage. With another nod, the woman closed her book once more and tucked it back under her arm before turning to fix her gaze on the statue at the center of the gate again. To her the defeat of such a massive and deadly creature was merely an annoyance.

"You do realize that Erebus will return, don't you?" another voice said from behind the woman.

"Of course I do, Theo," she said, her eyes resolutely staring at the subject of her observation. "It is a construct of human thoughts and feelings, only they can banish it forever."

The man, Theodor (Though only his eldest sister referred to him as such) walked over to stand beside the woman. He was a bit taller than she was, but the two were clearly related. Their eyes were an identical gold, and they wore the same blue velvet uniform, although Theo's was a suit-coat and pants rather than a knee-lengthen dress. The pair stood in silence for a long moment, both staring at the statue that locked the door closed. "I wonder how you are doing, Elizabeth," Theo said after a time.

"I am doing well," Elizabeth said. Her companion simply raised an eyebrow; he knew here mannerisms far too well to believe her. Still, he remained silent, waiting for her to continue. "Have you reconsidered my request, or did our _dear_ elder sister send you to scold me in her stead?"

"Neither, actually," Theo said. "I was simply… concerned… that you had not returned to the Velvet Room, and decided to see how you were doing. Margaret had nothing to do with it." He glanced at his sister out of the corner of his eye. "Although… I do believe there is some merit to what she says…"

"What she says can _get stuffed_!" Elizabeth snapped. "And you, if you have nothing productive to say, I would rather like to be left alone to concentrate."

"Elizabeth… Sister, it cannot be done," Theo said, patting the shorter woman on the shoulder. "There is no other force in the universe that can do what he has done." As he said this, Theo nodded towards the statue chained to the gate. "Only a mortal soul, that of a Wild Card that has completed his Journey, mastered the Arcana, and obtained the power of the Universe can hope to hold back not only the intense but temporary fury of Erebus, but its steady, everlasting stream of corruption that attempts to bring the wrath of Nyx down upon the world."

"So I should just give up?" Elizabeth snapped, jerking her shoulder out of her brother's grip and spinning to face him. "Because it is _believed_ to be impossible, I should just bow my head and move on with my existence? _He_ didn't give up, even when he was told _his_ mission was impossible, why should I?!"

"That's different, Sister, and we both know it." Theo said. "But if you do have a plan, I would be delighted to hear it. Perhaps I could help you."

Elizabeth's eyes twitched slightly as she looked back at the statue. "I… do not have one… yet," she said, clearly forcing each word past clenched teeth. "But I am not willing to give up. He deserves better than that."

"Sister, he chose his fate of his own free will, as was demanded by his contract," Theo said. "He knew what the consequences of his decisions would be, and he was willing to bear them for the sake of humanity." He cocked his head slightly. "Would you deny him that honor?"

"And what of those he left behind?" Elizabeth shot back. "What of those that care for him, those who… who want him back." She turned again, looking up at her brother. "You've never been in love, have you Theo? If you had been… you'd understand… you'd know why I have to find some way to save him."

Theo nodded. "And yet, we return to the fact that before you remove him, you must find something else to shield Nyx from Erebus. And there is simply no other force beside a special mortal soul that can accomplish that task." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you plan to seek out another soul like that?"

Elizabeth was silent for a long moment before shaking her head. "No. I admit, I considered it, but I realized that is one line I simply cannot cross. Besides…" she nodded up at the statue. "…he would never accept that outcome. No, I shall find some other way."

Theo huffed. "We are going in circles, Elizabeth. The simple fact that what you want to do cannot be done: no other force in this universe can do what his soul can. I fear that you will search in vain, Elizabeth." He turned to leave. "Please… do not do anything rash."

Elizabeth ignored his parting words, her thoughts racing. 'Is he… right…' she thought, gazing desperately up at the statue of the boy she cared about more than any other. 'Is there truly nothing in this universe that can save him…'

'Wait…'

"That's it! Theo, you're a genius!" Elizabeth squealed, causing her brother to jump slightly before he stepped into the portal he had created.

"What's it?" he asked warily, turning to face her. She ignored him, flipping her compendium open to form a portal of her own, which she dashed through. Confused and mildly worried, Theo immediately reached out and strengthened the portal so that he could follow his sister, make sure she didn't hurt herself… or anyone else.

A moment later, he stepped out of the glowing blue path and looked around to see where his sister had taken them. In the distance, he could see the shining mass of lights that made up human thought, though it was far too distant to make out any details. 'What could possibly interest her all the way out… here…' Slowly, he turned away. Behind him, his sister was standing, her gloved hand raised to a faintly-glowing sheet, something Theo had known of, but never wished to see for himself.

Theo's insides turned to ice.

"Elizabeth! ARE YOU MAD?" he shouted, dashing forward and grabbing her. "You can't possible be considering…"

"You said it yourself, that no force _in this universe_ could save Minato," Elizabeth said, turning back to her brother. "However, it is possible that there is some force _outside_ the universe that can…"

"You can't cross the Rift, Elizabeth!" Theo said, glancing fearfully at the light she had been interacting with. "You just can't!"

"And why not?" his sister said coolly. "The answer to my problem may lie beyond it. If it does, then I must cross."

"You have no idea what's on the other side! You'll be powerless, at the mercy of whatever's over there! You'll _die_!"

Elizabeth pulled her arm out of Theo's grip. "That is a risk I am willing to take," she said. "I shall pass through the Rift of my own free will and attempt to make contact with some force that might aid me in my mission."

"No," Theo said, trying again to grab his sister. "Elizabeth, don't do this! Please! What will we do if you die?"

"I am sure that Margaret and our Master will move on well enough," Elizabeth said. "And you… I'm sorry, Theo, but I cannot allow you to stop me. If you try…" Slowly, she pulled her compendium from nowhere. "I will be forced to… dissuade you."

Theo slowly backed up. "I… Elizabeth…" he whimpered.

"Theo…" Elizabeth said before shaking her head. "No, I must do this." With that, she turned and pressed her hand against the Rift; the great divide between the multitude of universes that made up all of existence, and slowly pushed through.

Theo's hand jerked up, even though he was too far away to touch his sister. "Elizabeth…" he said, before finally letting his arm drop back to his side as his sister passed out of his sight.

Elizabeth gasped in pain as she stumbled fully through the Rift. As Theo had predicted, her power was almost completely drained, lost both in the effort it had taken to move between universes and the fact that she was in an unfamiliar place, separated from the source of power that acknowledged her as its master. "Well," she muttered, "I'm committed now, aren't I?" With that, she took several steps forward and raised her voice. "Hello! Is anyone here?"

Though her strength had left her, Elizabeth could still sense the flow of power in this new universe. It was… different, from what she was used to. It was less wild, instead moving in ordered streams to and fro. She could also see the cluster of lights that clearly made up mortal thought, though it was quite distant. The flows of power seemed to be leading towards that spot, so she followed, raising her voice again. "I seek an audience with those that govern power in this place!" she called, before adding, "Please."

Before she could continue, she felt the flow of power shift, and knew something was approaching. It was more powerful than anything she had ever experience before… even her brief sensation of Nyx as the Fall was in progress paled in comparison to the sheer might of this being. "**YOU WHO CROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE, WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS THING?**" it said. Though it did not seem to shout, the sheer force of its words causing Elizabeth to stumble.

"I need your help!" Elizabeth called, looking around to try and catch sight of the entity that was addressing her. "I am on a mission…"

"**FROM THE BEGINNING OF ALL THAT IS, NONE HAVE CROSSED THE GREAT DIVIDE,**" the voice continued. "**EVERY EXISTANCE WAS GIVEN ALL IT NEEDED TO SURVIVE. WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY NEED THAT I COULD PROVIDE?**"

"I need the power to seal away a great evil, to free a soul that sacrificed itself to hold back the darkness!" Elizabeth shouted.

"**YOU NEED NOT SHOUT, I CAN HEAR YOU.**"

"Where are you? Might I have a face to speak to?" Elizabeth said.

"**…VERY WELL,**" the voice said, and a moment later, Elizabeth was forced to shield her eyes as a light appeared before her. Finally, when she was done blinking the spots from her eyes, eyes which could stare into the sun without difficulty, she beheld the being before her.

It was massive; nearly three times Elizabeth's height, and took the form of a great winged unicorn. It still shone with a blinding light, but it was dim enough that Elizabeth could keep looking if she squinted. Its eyes were brilliant pools of gold, far brighter and more uniform than Elizabeth's own. Its mane and tail flowed with all the colors of the rainbow, a light that reflected off the space surrounding the pair, illuminating the entire area to an almost uncomfortable degree. The only thing that this light didn't reflect on was it's pure white coat. At the being's flank was a strange mark, or rather, six marks clustered together. Five of them, an apple, a balloon, a butterfly, a gem, and a cloud with a rainbow of lighting, formed a pentagon around a brilliant purple star with six points at the center. Even dazed as she was, Elizabeth could tell there was some great significance to this, though she could not begin to fathom what it might be.

More than any of these things, however, was the unimaginable power of this being. Even had Elizabeth been at her full strength, she knew it could have swatted her aside with as much ease as she had dispatched Erebus. A part of her began wondering if Theo hadn't been right all along, but she steeled herself and kept looking. This was for Minato.

"**YOU SAY THAT THE EVIL YOU WISH TO STOP HAS ALREADY BEEN CONTAINED,**" the being said. "**IF THAT IS SO, WHY DO YOU NEED TO SEEK THE AID OF THOSE YOU CANNOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT?**"

Elizabeth sighed. "The cost was too high," she said. "A hero… he is trapped between life and death, unable to truly live as he deserves to… but not free to finally lay his burdens down and rest. I want to free him from the terrible fate that has befallen him. Please, if there is any secret, any power that you can teach me that will allow me to save him…"

The figure raised a hoof. "**I CANNOT HELP YOU,**" he said. "**WHAT LIES BEYOND THE GREAT DIVIDE IS BEYOND MY REACH AND BEYOND MY KNOWLEDGE. I… SYPMATHISE WITH YOUR PLIGHT, AND THE PLIGHT OF THE ONE YOU COME TO SAVE. HOWEVER, THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO. I AM SORRY.**" With that, the shining figure started to fade.

"His name is Minato!" Elizabeth called desperately. "There are countless mortals who grieve for him, so many lives that were made better because he bonded with them. Please, there must be something, some comfort you can offer! He has fought so hard, for so long, has suffered so much. Something… anything…"

The majestic figure's eyes closed briefly, but he returned to his previous radiance. "**TELL ME MORE OF THIS MINATO,**" he said finally. Elizabeth eagerly leapt into the story of Minato's journey. The god seemed most interested in his Wild Card ability to form Social Links, even interrupting Elizabeth several times to clarify something. Finally, when she was done, she could only wait for his answer.

"**IF WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE… THEN PERHAPS THERE IS SOMETHING I CAN DO…**" the figure said after several minutes of silence. "**HOWEVER, THERE WILL BE GREAT RISKS INVOLVED… AND GREAT SACRIFICES…**"

"I'll do anything!" Elizabeth declared. "Anything you ask…"

The figure shook his head. "**THE SACRIFICES WILL NOT BE YOURS, NOR WILL THE RISKS. THEY WILL BE HIS.**" The golden eyes burned into Elizabeth's. "**MORTALS HAVE AN ABILITY TO CROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE UNHINDERED THAN BEINGS SUCH AS YOU AND I LACK. IF THERE IS TO BE ANY CHANCE THAT I CAN HELP HIM, THEN YOU MUST ESCORT A PORTION OF HIS SOUL HERE, TO ME, AND ALLOW ME TO… REMAKE IT.**"

Elizabeth paled. "A portion… of his soul…" she said.

"**I DID SAY THAT THERE WOULD BE RISKS,**" the god said. "**THE PROCESS WILL BE LONG, AND HE WILL NOT BE FREE OF STRIFE. HE WILL FACE MANY TRIALS HERE, TRIALS AKIN TO THOSE HE HAS ALREADY SUFFERED.**" A soft smile formed on his face. "**BUT, HE WILL NOT BE ALONE, AND SHOULD HE SUCCEED, HE WILL GAIN THE POWER TO CREATE A NEW BARRIER, SO THAT THE DARK ONE CAN BE HELD BACK WITHOUT A SOUL FORMING A PERMENANT BOUNDRY.**"

"Wonderful!" Elizabeth cried. "I'll go find a piece and bring it right away." She eagerly turned back towards the Rift, but the rainbow tail blocked her path.

"**IT WILL NOT BE YOUR CHOICE,**" the massive figure said. "**IT MUST BE HIS. SUCCESS IS IN NO WAY GARUNTEED, AND HE IS THE ONE GIVING A PORTION OF HIMSELF TO ME. TELL HIM OF THE RISKS, AND WHAT HE WILL FACE HERE. ONLY WITH HIS PERMISION WILL HE BE ABLE TO BEGIN THE TRIALS.**" Elizabeth turned back to the god as his voice chilled. "**SHOULD YOU NOT TELL HIM OF THESE THINGS, OR TAKE HIM BY FORCE… YOU WILL FIND NO MORE HELP HERE. I WILL KNOW.**"

"I'll do as you say. Thank you…" Elizabeth realized she didn't have a name for her benefactor.

"**I AM HARMONY,**" the figure said.

"Harmony… thank you," Elizabeth said before making her way back to the Rift. Finally, she was able to slip back into her own world, and was immediately accosted by Theo.

"Elizabeth!" he cried, throwing his arms around her. "I was so worried…"

"Theo, my mission is not complete," Elizabeth said, wriggling out of her brother's arms and waving her hand to form a portal. "I have found a way to save Minato, but I must act without delay."

"What way, Sister?" Theo asked, hurrying to keep up with Elizabeth.

"The one who governs power on the other side has a task that Minato will be able to perform, and in return he will grant Minato the power to stop Erebus."

Theo blinked. "But he cannot leave the Seal, he is needed. How do you plan to…" His eyes widened. "No… you wouldn't…"

"I will ask him, and I believe he will agree," Elizabeth said, reappearing before the Great Seal. "Minato, can you hear me?" she called, stepping forward.

Several long moments passed, and Elizabeth was about to repeat herself when a sensation of being watched passed over the two residents of the Velvet Room. In his current form, Minato could not speak, but he was still aware, and had enough strength left to acknowledge his friend.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I think I have a way to save you," Elizabeth said, taking another step towards Minato.

"I must protest!" Theo said, moving to stand next to his sister. "Minato, you many not know me, but my name is Theodor, another resident of the Velvet Room…"

"Minato and _I_ are having this conversation, Theo, don't interfere," Elizabeth snapped before looking back at the boy. "As I was saying, I believe that there is a way for you to be able to leave this cursed state. There is someone who wants to help us."

Minato's face didn't change in any way, of course, but Elizabeth sensed his interest… and his longing. She wanted to simply allow him to go, but she remembered Harmony's words. "The path will not be easy, I'm afraid. You will have to leave this universe… or at least part of you will." A sensation of surprise filed the air, but Elizabeth rushed on. "Don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen while you're gone, and I have absolute faith that you'll be able to overcome whatever challenges await you over there."

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry, but I must speak!" Theo said. "Minato, this is foolishness! I don't doubt that Elizabeth wants to help you, but this isn't hope, it is desperation!"

Elizabeth spun, her eyes flashing. "So what! If that's all we have, then why not reach for it!? Besides, if there is anyone who can do this, it's Minato!" She turned back to the statue. "It can work, Minato! I'm sure of it!"

Sensing the soul's nervousness, Theo spoke to the paralyzed boy again. "Are you willing to risk all the sacrifices you and your friends made on that hope?" he asked. "You know as well as we do what will happen here if this gamble fails. If your soul is incomplete, it will not be able to hold back Erebus' corruption forever. For a time, yes, but not forever. What will happen if you fail in whatever task you are expected to overcome, if in fact there is such a task to begin with?" He nodded as Minato's eagerness faded further. "Yes, there will have to be another, another to make your sacrifice. Are you willing to take that risk?"

Elizabeth's fist clenched at her brother's words, but she kept a cool head and played her trump card. "You'll be able to see her again."

Stillness instantly fell over the area as Minato digested her words. Quickly, Elizabeth pressed her advantage. "Yes, there are great risks, there is no denying that. But are there not equally great incentives? Your friends… they miss you terribly, you know. All of them… but her especially. Would you deny them, the ones who gave you the strength to bring about a miracle? I believe in you, Minato, I believe that whatever barriers rise before you, you will be able to overcome them." Theo opened his mouth, but Elizabeth wasn't finished. "Besides, you won't be alone, never alone. I have faith in that. All I ask is that you share that faith."

Silence fell as both Theo and Elizabeth realized that there were no more words to be spoken. Both of them waited with baited breath as Minato mulled over his choice.

Finally, a soft crack was heard, and a small gleam of metal was seen falling slowly from the statue. Elizabeth smiled and stepped forward, catching it and studying it. It looked like a small handgun, what mortals would call an Evoker, but Elizabeth knew what it really was: a portion of Minato's soul. She gently cradled it. "Thank you, Minato," she breathed, turning back to Theo.

"I disagree with this course of action," he said simply, "but I cannot oppose a decision he has made of his own free will." The taller Velvet Room attendant sighed. "I guess you are going to deliver him, aren't you?"

"Yes, Theo," Elizabeth said. "Would you…"

"Yes, I will," Theo said, opening his grimoire. "Should Erebus return while you are away, I will drive him back. After that, it will be your responsibility. I hope you are right about this, Sister."

"I know, thank you," Elizabeth said as she stepped into a portal leading back to the Rift. Once there, she pushed her way through, making sure to shield the precious portion of Minato's soul that he had entrusted to her.

Harmony was waiting for her almost as soon as she crossed over, his golden eyes shining. "**I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WOULD RETURN**," he said.

"I did as you asked," Elizabeth said, gently holding out her cargo.

"**YES…**" the god said quietly. "**I SENSE THE COMMITMENT, THIS IS IN FACT HIS CHOICE.**" Harmony looked past Elizabeth at the Veil. "**STILL… I WILL GRANT YOU BOTH ONE MORE CHANCE TO TURN AROUND AND LEAVE, FOR YOU HAVE MUCH TO LOSE IN THIS ENDEVOR. WILL YOU TAKE IT?**"

Elizabeth already knew her answer, but she remained silent, keeping her eyes on the portion of Minato's soul. After a long moment, there was a click and several sparks shot out the barrel, making his answer clear.

"**VERY WELL,**" Harmony said, a glow engulfing the soul and tugging it out of Elizabeth's hand and raised it in front of his face. "**NOW… THERE IS NO TURNING BACK.**" His switched his gaze once more to Elizabeth. "**IT WOULD BE BEST IF YOU WERE TO RETURN NOW, I WILL CONTINUE FROM HERE**."

"Yes…" Elizabeth said. "Please… treat him well." With that, she turned and made her way back through the Veil to fulfill her duty.

Harmony stood still for a long moment before nodding and gently tucking the portion of soul into his wing and making his way towards his destination: the field of mortal thought that he watched over. Once there, he removed the portion of soul and studied it again. It was incomplete, of course. From what he could gather, the majority of this Minato's strength was left in his own universe. However, even this tiny portion was so strong… yes, Harmony could work with this.

Slowly, Harmony started to weave, with skill that would have put the greatest craftpony to shame. Gently, he drew on his immense power of this universe, slowly reshaping and building upon the soul he had been brought. He did nothing to change its deepest nature, for it was the skills within that he needed. Instead, Harmony rebuilt those things that had not been transferred, rebuilding it into something that would be able to live in the world it would need to inhabit. To do this, Harmony put a bit of his own power into his work, more than he had expected, but he wasn't worried. He also made minor adjustments; certain things that needed to be done.

Finally, his work was done, and Harmony took a look at the finished product. Laying before him was the image of a unicorn pony, one that looked about the proper age for the young adult he had been in his previous life. His coat was a dark blue, almost black. His mane, which hung down over his right eye was a lighter, though still dark, blue. The color was repeated on the tail, which was also longer than colts usually allowed. Poking out of the mane was the new unicorn's horn, slightly longer and sharper than average, but not noticeably so. His eyes, had they been open, would have been a sharp, intelligent grey that would grab attention. Finally, on his flanks there was the image of an oval mask, one half black with a white eye and the other white with a black eye. Nopony would ever imagine that this colt hadn't been a pony all his life just by looking.

Harmony had not chosen what the boy would look like, simply allowing the soul to flow naturally into shape. Satisfied that everything was in working order, he infused the soul with enough energy to completely solidify its body. "**AND NOW, FOR THE FINAL STEP,**" Harmony murmured to nopony in particular. "**LET US SEE IF YOU RESPOND IN THE WAY I IMAGINE.**"

The glow of Harmony's eyes seemed to fade as his looked into the physical world, one that he had not entered in… a long, long time. He smiled as he saw a streak of lavender in the sky. "**PERFECT TIMING,**" he said, gently reaching out with his power and brushing against a barrier, one similar to the Great Divide, and willed it to part. Once it had, he pushed Minato's body through, allowing it to fall through the sky. With the deed done, he closed the tear in reality and raised his head, his golden eyes staring into the distance.

"**AND SO IT BEGINS.**"

* * *

"Yes! Everything's going to be just fine!" Twilight sang as she soared over Equestria, her new wings catching the rays of her mentor's sun.

It was hard for Twilight to believe that just a week ago the most important thing she had been thinking about was whether she should rearrange the library a bit early or follow her schedule. A week ago, she had simply been happy that the sun was bright, the air was clear, and there were no disasters looming on the horizon. A week ago, Twilight never would have imagined that she'd become an alicorn princess. In fact, she probably would have laughed at anypony who told her she would be.

Then had come _that_ spell, with all its tears and all its joy; that had changed Twilight's life forever.

As she continued to soar over the countryside, Twilight's thoughts drifted back over that hectic week. Almost as soon as the euphoria of the moment had worn off, Princess Celestia had taken Twilight back to Canterlot with her, to prepare for her coronation. It turned out that Celestia had not told the nobility what she was planning, and thus it had taken some cajoling (and a few reminders of who was responsible for Equestria not being trapped in eternal night or chaos,) for them to agree to acknowledge Twilight as the fourth Princess of Equestria. Then had come the complex planning for the ceremony itself, something that Twilight had appreciated as it gave her something to think about, other than what was about to happen.

That changed the night before the coronation. There was no more to be done: the throne-room was prepared, the dignitaries had all arrived, and Twilight had spent a few hours with her friends. Once they left to sleep, however, Twilight was finally forced to face the realization that life as she had known it was about to change forever.

_Twilight paced nervously around the new, beautiful quarters she had been given. Princess Luna had raised the moon hours ago, and the softer orb was tracing its way lazily across the sky. Spike was snoring softly in his basket, but Twilight couldn't hear him, since she had placed a sound-dampening spell around him as soon as she realized that sleep was not going to come easily this night._

_ Twilight was no stranger to long nights, but usually she was _working_ on something, rather than simply pacing nervously, but what else could she do?_

_ "It seems my suspicions were correct."_

_ A quiet "Eep" slip out of Twilight's mouth as she spun towards the balcony, her new wings flaring instinctively. Standing there was the dark form of Princess Luna, a small smile on her face._

_ "May I come in?" the Alicorn of the Night asked, and Twilight nodded dumbly. "Being nervous is a natural part of being a pony, Twilight, but it's a big day for you tomorrow, so you really should get some sleep."_

_ "I…" Twilight stammered. "But Princess…"_

_ "Please, Twilight," Princess Luna said gently, stepping closer and wrapping one of her wings around Twilight. "Although you will not officially be a Princess until Sister says so tomorrow, in my eyes, you earned the right to use my name long ago." She nuzzled the smaller alicorn for a moment before continuing. "What troubles you this night, Twilight?"_

_ Twilight sniffled softly. "I… I don't know if I can do this," she said, pressing her own muzzle into Luna's neck. "What if I mess up? Does me getting a pair of wings really qualify me to help run a country?"_

_ "Were it just the wings, Twilight, then no," Luna said. "But Celestia would have never trusted you with this if she didn't think you were ready. You've already been through so much, been tested in so many ways, that I would be very surprised if I found out that you weren't ready."_

_ "What have I done?" Twilight asked. "What have I done that could possible prepare me for this?"_

_ Luna chuckled. "You must be more tired than I thought if you need to ask that question, Twilight," she said. "But let's start at the beginning, shall we? First, you've studied under my sister for years, and from what she's told me, you're one of the best students she's ever had, and she's had a _lot_ of amazing students." Luna waited for a moment, but when Twilight didn't answer she continued. "After that, you moved to Ponyville, where your first major act was rescuing me, and all of Equestria, from myself."_

_ "But I didn't do that by myself," Twilight said. "I couldn't have done it without my friends."_

_ "I never said you could have," Luna said soothingly. "And it's very important that you remember that fact. But they couldn't have done it without you either. You led them and you inspired them. That's a very important skill for a princess. Then, after that, you became an instrumental member of Ponyville."_

_ Twilight shook her head. "How?" she muttered, clearly not believing Luna._

_ "Well, as I hear it, you were responsible for finally breaking Ponyville's streak of being the last town to finish cleaning up winter, even though you only had half the time to do it." Luna said. "And you were able to organize the library so it was not only usable, but quite efficient."_

_ "How do you know all this?" Twilight asked._

_ "I was curious about how the mare who had helped save my soul was doing, so I kept an eye on your exploits," Luna said. "But where was I? Oh yes, not long after, Discord broke out of his prison and started wrecking havoc, and you once again led your friends to defeat him in about a day. It took Celestia and I nearly three years to overthrow him. Once that was done, you continued to improve Ponyville in small ways until the next major catastrophe, the Changeling invasion. You alone saw through their queen's disguise, and though you made some mistakes, ultimately you were instrumental in her defeat. Almost immediately after, you aided in the defense of the Crystal Empire, learning several important lessons in the process." Luna smiled down at Twilight. "Don't ever say you haven't done anything to prepare for being a princess, Twilight. In fact, I'd say you're far more qualified than Celestia and I were when we took the throne."_

_ "You really think so?" Twilight asked._

_ "I do," Luna said. "Besides, not being ready isn't the only thing bothering you this night, is it?"_

_ Twilight bowed her head again. "…I don't want to leave my friends," she whispered. "They… They're special to me, all of them. And if I come back here… I'll be abandoning them. Rarity and Rainbow Dash _might_ be able to move closer, but Applejack and Pinkie Pie both have family businesses in Ponyville, and Fluttershy has her animal friends. Besides, she wouldn't be happy in a city." Twilight looked back up at the elder princess. "And without them… what am I?"_

_ Luna gently nuzzled Twilight again. "Twilight," she whispered. "You won't have to leave them just yet. Sister did tell you about the time you will spend there, gaining more experience in being a leader, didn't she?"_

_ "No, she didn't," Twilight said, blinking. _

_ "Well, things have been a bit chaotic around here, it must have just slipped her mind," Luna said. "But it's true, you'll be spending at least another year in Ponyville, perhaps in some other nearby towns, learning more about how to be a princess. When I got back from the moon, I spent several months reacquainting myself with the finer points of being a princess in Manehatten." Her smile widened. "Besides, Twilight, even if you're not always with your closest friends, you still have other ponies that care about you. Celestia and myself will always be there for you, and dear Cadance will be all to happy to give advice where she can. You're not alone, Twilight. Remember that _always_." _

It had been those words by Luna that had finally allowed Twilight to relax enough to sleep, which was good because she doubted flying would feel nearly as good if her eyes were drooping like a flower that hadn't been watered enough. Twilight had never truly understood Rainbow Dash's obsession with flight until now; but now, to feel the wind blowing through her mane, to see the ground rushing beneath her, and knowing that it was her own power rather than a balloon provided her with a rush that previously had been reserved for reading a good book, mastering a difficult spell, or finishing a project. It was wonderful.

"I'll have to take Rainbow up on those flying lessons," Twilight said happily as she spun in the air, giddy at the way the sky flashed over her.

"Well, if you really want to, we can get started now!"

Twilight looked over her shoulder to see Rainbow streaking towards her, a grin plastered on her face as she executed a spin of her own, one much more graceful than Twilight's. "How long have you been there?" Twilight called.

"Almost from the beginning," Rainbow said, pulling up to a position just above and to Twilight's right. "You're actually pretty good already, Twilight; for a beginner. You've got the basic fundamentals down, but you need to learn some _style_."

Twilight laughed. "I can't think of any other pony I'd rather have teaching me to fly with style than you, Rainbow," she said, causing her friend's smile to somehow widen even further.

"Well, I am the most awesome pegasus in Equestria," she said. "So that goes without…" Suddenly, Twilight came to a halt, her wings beating to keep her in a hover. "Hey, what gives?" Rainbow called, forced to bank around to get back to Twilight after overshooting. "Why'd you just stop like that?"

"Something's wrong…" Twilight said, looking around.

Even before becoming an alicorn, Twilight had been closely attuned to the flow of magic, especially when wearing the Element of Magic, as she was now. With her ascension, her skills in that area had only increased, meaning that she could sense that something was happening, and it was nearby. Despite what she had said, it wasn't _wrong_ per-say, but it certainly wasn't natural.

"What?" Rainbow asked, her smile fading as she fluttering upwards so she could scan the area.

"I don't know," Twilight murmured, her own eyes flicking from place to place. Finally, she looked up and gasped.

Hovering almost a fifty meters directly above the pair was a strange line in the sky, as if someone had taken a massive pair of scissors and cut a hold in reality. Just as she was about to point this out to Rainbow Dash, something fell out of the hole before it closed.

Something that looked a lot like a pony.

Acting on instinct, Twilight lit her horn with magic and reached out to catch the falling pony before he or she got too much momentum. Fortunately, the tear hadn't been that far above Twilight, so it wasn't difficult. A moment later, Twilight had brought the body to float between her and Rainbow Dash.

"The hay is this?" Rainbow asked, her jaw hanging as she stared at the unconscious unicorn colt hovering in the grip of Twilight's telekinetic field. "How… but… _what_?"

"I don't know, but we should hurry back," Twilight said, gently gripping the injured pony in her forelegs. "Princess Celestia will know what to do." The rainbow pegasus nodded immediately and fell into a wingpony position as Twilight soared with all speed back towards the gleaming towers of Canterlot.

_AN: Well, first chapter, hope it's not too intolerable. There's a poll relating to this on my main page, about who the "her" Elizabeth referred to was (in short, who Minato dated during the events of Persona 3.) The answer will play a part later in the story, but it's not urgent, and any of the girls will work. _

_Anyways, read, enjoy, and please review if you like the story, because that really motivates me to write more._


	2. Foggy Harmony

AN: I don't own the Persona or My Little Pony series, and I am making no money from this story. The cover picture is not mine either, it belongs to ThatFatBrony on Deviantart ( www. deviantart art/Dark -Hour-in- Ponyville- poster-version -340654686), who was kind enough to let me use it.

Review Response:

LeviathanTamer: Thank you so much for reviewing, it really does help. Yes, Minato will have Personas, but not all at once, I think I've come up with a good way for that to work. Hope you continue to like the story.

Chapter 1: Foggy Harmony  


Twilight flared her wings carefully as she reached the balcony from which she had taken off a mere five minutes ago, trying to find a place to set the unicorn down. Thankfully, her friends were still there and immediately scattered to give her space.

"Twilight? What happened? Who's this?" Spike asked as soon as the new alicorn had finished settling.

"We don't know," Rainbow said, nudging the dark-coated colt with one forehoof. "We were just flying along, minding our own business when he fell out of the sky on top of us." She snorted. "Lucky for him that we happened to be there, it was a long way down." Twilight opened her mouth to tell the others about the hole in the sky, but a certain pink ball of energy was faster.

"Ohhhh!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing happily. "_That's _why I had twitchy tail! It started just after you took off, and I looked up, but there wasn't anything there, so I was all like 'GASP! What if it's Twilight' and I started to panic, but then I was all like 'That's silly, Dashie's with her, she won't let Twilight fall!' but then I was like 'But what if Dashie falls too?' but then…"

"Pinkie Pie, darling, don't say such things!" Rarity gasped, putting a hoof over her heart. "It's just to ghastly to think of our friends hurt in that way!" She then turned her attention back to the colt. "But I must wonder what a unicorn was doing that far up on his own."

"Maybe he was testing out wings like the ones Twilight gave you," Rainbow said, causing Rarity to flush and open her mouth to retaliate.

Twilight quickly shook her head. "No, it wasn't anything like that," she said. "He… he fell out of a hole in the sky." The gathered ponies and dragon blinked, staring at Twilight as if she'd grown another pair of wings, but before they could voice their surprise, another voice entered the conversation.

"A hole in the sky, Twilight?" The Elements looked up as Princess Celestia made her way over, followed by four pegasi guards rather than the normal two, as well as two unicorns. "You're certain?"

"Yes, Princess," Twilight said, stepping back to let her mentor pass. "It looked like somepony had just cut a hole in reality, and he fell out. Don't worry, it closed immediately afterwards." The Diarch of the Sun nodded as she stepped forward to studying the colt closely. "Princess, what does this mean?"

"Hmmm?" Celestia murmured distractible; her eyes still fixed on the newcomer. "I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, Twilight," she said finally. "But what I do know is that we should make sure that this little pony is not hurt." She nodded one of the guards following her, who immediately nudged his nearest companion, and the two stepped forward to kneel down on either side of the unicorn, slipping their wings under him to form a makeshift stretcher. Meanwhile, Celestia looked back at Twilight. "Is there anything else that you noticed, anything at all?"

Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorry, Princes, but I'm afraid not," she said. "I just… felt something magical happening, and when I looked up I saw a hole, then he fell out of it and it closed. After that, I was more worried about getting him back quickly."

Celestia smiled. "That's good, Twilight. Protecting our ponies is an important part of being a princess," she said. Her smile faded slightly as she looked at the two guards, who had finished lifting the unconscious pony. "But this… this is not how I expected this day to go. I had hoped that this could be a joyful time, but it seems that fate has other designs."

"Maybe it's Discord playing a trick on us," Rainbow Dash said, falling into step behind Twilight as the small herd made their way towards the castle's infirmary.

Fluttershy shook her head. "He wouldn't do that, Rainbow," she said, a tiny note of reproach in her voice. "He's working very hard to be good now, so please try to be nice." She looked up. "I was hoping he'd come for the celebration… but I guess he's busy." Privately, Twilight wasn't all that upset that the Spirit of Chaos hadn't decided to show up, even if he was reformed now. His idea of "fun" and everypony else's was… different, to say the least. Still, she didn't voice that opinion, instead trying to bring the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"If it wasn't Discord, then what caused this?" she asked, "because it certainly wasn't natural."

"Once again, Twilight, I'm afraid I don't know," Celestia said. "I have hopes that our friend here will be able to answer that question when he wakes."

"He has to, doesn't he?" Spike said. "I mean, whatever caused it, it transported him, didn't it, so it'd make sense that he knows?" Celestia nodded slowly, her thoughts clearly elsewhere, and the rest of the trip passed in silence.

The infirmary wing of Canterlot Castle was not the largest or best equipped medical center in Canterlot; that honor went to the Canterlot General Hospital in the city proper. What the Castle Infirmary did have, however, was a calm, private atmosphere perfect for the sort of quiet recovery nobility and government officials preferred. With only ten rooms, it didn't have a permanent doctor. Instead, it shared with the Royal Guard infirmary and occasionally Canterlot General. As soon as the two guards stepped into the central waiting room, still carrying the unconscious colt between them, the on-duty doctor hurried over.

"You're Highness," he said, bowing when Celestia entered, "What happened?"

"We aren't certain yet, Dr. Steady Hoof," Celestia said. "However, this little pony might be injured, would you please help him."

Dr. Steady Hoof nodded immediately. "With pleasure, Princess," he said before leading the two guards into the nearest room. A moment later, the two stepped back out, minus their charge, and took positions on either side of the door.

A long moment later, Celestia turned back to Twilight, a smile once more on her face. "Now, Twilight, while we wait for the good doctor to finish his analysis, I'd like to talk to you about the matter I had meant to before this all started." With that, she nodded to the other four guards, who stepped forward and bowed. "These are going to be your security detail from now on, Twilight."

"My… security?" Twilight asked.

"Well, darling, you _are_ a princess now," Rarity said. "It only makes sense that there be several Royal Guard around to protect you from ruffians." She smiled as she studied the four guards, who remained motionless. "This is quite exciting, isn't it?"

Twilight felt a flush cross her face. "I… I guess so," she said. "So, ummm, what are your names?" she asked, trying to keep the awkwardness from her voice.

Immediately, one of the pegasi stepped forward. "An honor to serve you, Your Highness," he said in the clipped, professional tone that all guards used when they were on duty. "I am Lieutenant Storm Rider, and these are Sergeant Arcane Shield, Corporal Windedge and Corporal Magi Flare, at your disposal."

"I… thank you, sirs," Twilight said, causing Celestia to chuckle.

"Don't worry, Twilight, they don't bite," she said. "Well, I hope you all get along well. I…"

Before she could finish, a wordless cry echoed from the room where the doctors had taken the colt. It wasn't loud, but was filled with unmistakable pain.

* * *

** The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed.**

_The boy shrank back as darkness rushed over him, obscuring anything that might have helped him find some sort of balance in the strange world he found himself in. Within the shadows there were images, flittering at the edge of his vision, never clear enough for him to grasp any meaning they might have held, but distinct enough that he could not ignore them. Worse was the terrible feeling of _longing_; he _wanted_ to see them, wanted to… but it hurt it hurt it hurt…_

_ Then there were the sounds; an unrelenting jumble that he knew should have meant something to him, something vitally important… but didn't, and it terrified him, made him shrink further back into the tatters of his mind._

_ MementoMoriJourneyShinjiDeath… _'Make it stop…'_ he moaned PersonaAigisJinHeartAnswer… _'Please…'_ AkihikoErebusMitsuruSEESGreatSeal… He pressed himself against what should have been solid ground, but could find no comforting stability StregaVelvetRoomApathyRyojiTheFallShadows… _'No more… no more…'_ he tried to cover his ears, but the sounds were already in his head ThanatosGiftYukariJunpei… The darkness seemed to press in harder around him, as if it sought to smother him with its oppressive weight _'I… can't…'_ PharosSocialLinkTartarusFuukaKorumaruIgorMeaningOf Life… _'Stop…'_ KenChidoriFreedomElizabethDreadMoonMessiahOrpheusN yx… _'Someone… anyone… help me…'

* * *

Meanwhile, back outside the room, everypony was reacting slightly differently. Pinkie Pie had started shuddering, somehow hovering in mid-air as she shouted "DOOZY! DOOZY!" over and over again. Fluttershy let out a terrified squeak as she dove and grabbed the nearest pony, who just happened to be Rainbow Dash. The other Pegasus had tried to take off at the same time, and thus the pair to crash to the floor in a heap. Rarity, Applejack, and Spike had also leapt to their feet and hooves, each started spinning around, trying to see the entire room at the same time.

The guards, meanwhile, on the other hoof, leapt immediately into action. The two pegasi by the door pushed it open while Twilight's new guards darted over to join them, followed closely by the two alicorn princesses.

"Get me sedatives! NOW!" Dr. Steady Hoof was shouting to one of the nurses, who was digging desperately through a supply closet, as he used his magic to hold the pony steady.

"Heart rate's climbing!" one of the other nurses said, her own horn glowing slightly as her brow furrowed. "He's hyperventilating!"

Twilight's breath caught as she saw what was happening. The colt was twitching horribly, even as he continued to cry out. He didn't seem to be aware of what was going on around him, caught instead in the grips of some terrible nightmare. There had to be something she could do for him… A moment later, she had slipped by the guards and darted towards an empty spot at the foot of the bed.

"Your Highness! Stay back!" Dr. Steady Hoof shouted just as the colt let out another cry, a sickly glow forming around his horn. "The patient's losing control!" Twilight ignored him, skidding to a halt at the foot of the bed, desperately trying to think of something…

"Wait… He's calming…" the nurse who was watching vitals said. "Breathing… Heart rate… blood pressure… everything's returning to normal parameters." She glanced at Twilight before continuing. "What happened?"

* * *

_ The boy sunk further back as the darkness pressed in, ready to finish what it had started._

** I will always be by your side**

_ Suddenly, gentle sounds flowed over him, along with a soft light… and the feeling of a warm spring breeze… The pressure faded, allowing him to look up. He tried to smile, but his lips were still so sluggish, but that was alright; the nightmare was fading. Somehow, he could tell he wasn't alone anymore._

_ The light gently washed away the darkness, while the sounds and images faded in kind. A part of him mourned their loss… but they didn't disappear… just muted… He knew without knowing that they would return… when he was ready for them._

_ Silently thanking whatever had brought about the light, the boy slipped out of consciousness and found peace._

* * *

"I don't know," Twilight said. "I didn't do anything."

Dr. Steady Hoof's brow furrowed as he studied her. "Are you sure, Your Highness," he said. "I find it… difficult to believe that it is coincidence that the patient would calm the moment you came close. Are you certain…"

"I believe I know what happened," Celestia said as she made her way slowly over, followed nervously by Spike and the rest of the Element Bearers. "Although… I am curious as to how."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "I didn't do anything."

Celestia didn't answer immediately, instead turning her gaze on the doctor. "What happened?" she asked. "What caused this?"

"I am terribly sorry, Your Highness," Dr. Steady Hoof said, bowing. "Initial testing indicated that the patient was suffering from magical exhaustion; and I believed the best course of action was to link him to a booster, though only at a low level." He sighed. "I guess it worked, although it seems that there's something else going on. I should have been more careful…"

"You couldn't have know that, Doctor" Celestia said kindly. "And everything seems to have worked out." She glanced back at Twilight for a long moment before speaking again, her voice much more serious. "However, I must ask that you please step out for just a moment. Do not worry, I will ensure that nothing happens to your patient while you are away." The doctor bowed immediately before ushering the nurses out. Once the door was closed, Celestia turned back to Twilight. "Take a look at the Element of Magic, Twilight. I think that might answer some of your questions."

Twilight blinked before using her telekinesis to lift the crown off her head, and gasped when she caught sight of it. The star-like gem was shining, more so than it did normally. It was almost like the Element was reacting to something. "But… how," she whispered, staring at it.

"Twilight," Celestia said, shaking Twilight out of her shock. "I need to be sure of something; please set the Element down next to him and step back." Shakily, Twilight followed her elder's instructions. The Element continued to shine gently, even as Twilight backed to the other side of the room.

"Princess… What does this mean?" Rarity asked, looking as shaken as Twilight felt.

"I believe I know what I am seeing, though I admit that I am having some difficulty believing it," Celestia said. "Only three other ponies that I know of have ever shown this particular phenomenon. Unless I am very much mistaken… the Element of Magic is partially resonating with this colt."

"Huh?" Spike said. "Partially resonating. What does that mean?"

Celestia turned to look at the girls. "The six of you have what could be called 'pure resonance.' Each one of you is so closely linked with your own Element that you are able to wield their full power, especially when working together. A pony with partial resonance has a close enough relationship to an Element that they can, theoretically, tap into its power in times of emergency." Her eyes grew distant. "The Elements are not sentient, but they do sometimes show a mind of their own. They will only acknowledge a partially resonating pony as an acceptable Bearer when they feel that there is no other choice, and even then… it takes a lot out of the pony using them." She looked up. "My little ponies, would you mind terribly if you were to retrieve your Elements? I wish to see if this colt resonates with any of the others."

"Sure thing, Princess!" Rainbow Dash said as she darted out the door, quickly followed by the others.

Celestia gently brushed Twilight with her wing. "While we wait for your friends, let's step outside and let Dr. Steady Hoof get back to his work, we've made him wait long enough."

"But… what if my leaving hurts him?" Twilight asked, glancing back at the colt as she picked up her Element and put it back on her head.

"I don't believe it will, Twilight," Celestia said as she led the way out the door, giving the waiting doctor and nurses a smile and nod, which they returned as the moved quickly past and closed the door again. "If I'm right, then the Element has already done what it can in helping him overcome whatever trauma caused his panic, and if I'm wrong, then you're still nearby to help him."

A long moment of silence passed between the two alicorn princesses and the dragon before Twilight spoke up. "Princess…"

"You need not be so formal, Twilight," Celestia said gently. "You too are a princess, and thought I am still your teacher, I would be honored if you could also treat me as a friend."

Twilight nodded. "Celestia… you mentioned that there were three other ponies."

Celestia smiled sadly. "Yes, Twilight," she said. "I was one of them, and Luna was another. As for the third… it was my own teacher, Aurora, back when I was just a filly."

Twilight couldn't help but stare at her mentor. Somehow, the thought of Celestia ever being… _young_… was so completely foreign to her mind that she could barely comprehend it, and from the way Spike's jaw was hanging open, he thought the same way. The elder alicorn laughed. "Twilight, surely it isn't that great a surprise. I may guide the sun across the sky every day, but I was born and grew just like any other pony."

"I guess," Twilight said slowly before turning to look back at the door. "I wonder what it means, that a pony that the Element recognizes fell out of the sky almost on top of me. It seems too unlikely to be a coincidence."

"Oh, I doubt very much that it was a coincidence, Twilight," Celestia said, her own gaze following her student's. "The only question now is how this came about, and I hope that this little colt can answer that."

The two princesses lapsed into silence for a minute. Eventually, the quiet was broken by the sound of hooves, both shoed and bare, reaching them. A moment later, a great many ponies started filing into the infirmary. In the lead was Princess Luna, flanked by two of her Lunar Guard. Following Luna was Princess Cadance and her husband, Shining Armor, and finally the returning Elements of Harmony.

"Sister, what has happened?" Luna asked, her wings flaring. "Why are we here, and why have the Elements been gathered."

Celestia gave her sister one of her calming smile. "It is nothing to be nervous over, Luna," she said. "While Twilight was flying, a strange colt fell from the sky, unconscious, and he was brought here. As for why I had the Elements brought here, he seems to have a partial resonance with the Element of Magic, and I was curious if any of the others also acknowledged him."

Luna's breath caught at the words 'partial resonance.' "Are you certain?" she asked.

"I believe so," Celestia said.

Twilight noticed her brother opening his mouth, likely to ask what a partial resonance was, but before he could, the door into the colt's room opened, allowing the doctor and two nurses to exit. One of the nurse immediately made her way out of the room as the remaining pair approached the group of waiting ponies.

"Your Highnesses," Dr. Steady Hoof said, bowing. Once Celestia and Luna gave him a nod, he stood and accepted a piece of paper from the clipboard from the nurse. "I have completed my preliminary examination of the patient. He's a perfectly normal unicorn colt, and if the ageing spells are right he's about seventeen years of age. He is stable now, and I believe he will wake soon."

Twilight nodded slowly to herself. While it was good to hear that the colt would be alright, she was still worried about what had happened before. "Do you know what caused his… incident?" she asked.

The doctor sighed, looking at his paper with a furrowed brow. "I… believe I might," he said, his voice somewhere between pity and disgust. "This colt… has not had a pleasant life. There are signs of what can only be considered severe battle wounds… or worse."

"Battle wounds?" Shining Armor asked, blinking. "How bad?"

"The worst I've ever seen on a pony," the doctor said grimly. "Almost a dozen scars from major lacerations across almost every part of his body; save the head, thankfully, though several were uncomfortably close. If I am correct, then at least three of these would have been fatal had the patient not received medical care. Aside from those, there were many other minor to moderate wounds; and those were just the ones still visible." Dr. Steady Hoof took a long breath before flipping the paper over and continuing. "There were also internal injuries: many of the patient's bones showed signs of damage, including all four legs and several ribs. Then comes the signs of magical damage: moderate to severe flame burns, tissue that looked like it had been flash-frozen, and several marks that were likely made by lightning strikes." Slowly, the doctor looked up. "These are the sort of wounds that I would have expected to see on a hardened soldier or a griffon warrior, not a colt too young to be considered a full adult."

A stunned silence followed the doctor's words. Even some of the guards, normally known for remaining stoic when in armor, were gaping at the extent of the injuries. Luna's eyes, however, simply narrowed. "You mentioned medical treatment," she said grimly.

"Yes, but even that was… forced," Dr. Steady Hoof said. "Normal magical healing is a slow process, but a very safe and thorough one. As a result, even severe injuries can be all but completely erased. Whoever healed his colt, however, seemed to be in a hurry, and thus the job was… incomplete. At first, I thought it might have been a shaman ritual, but there's no signs of that: this was done by pure magic."

"That's dangerous!" Twilight gasped. "If healing spells are hurried too much, they can do terrible things to the body, especially if the caster gets distracted! Why would anypony take that kind of risk?"

The doctor nodded. "You are perfectly correct, Your Highness, which leads me to believe that the injuries were either being healed in an unsafe environment where the unicorn casting the spells didn't have time to do a proper job… or the healer simply didn't _care_ about much beyond the colt's survival. I don't believe I have to tell you that neither of these reasons are particularly comforting." He sighed. "The only good news about this is that patient seemed to have been lucky: there are no signs of the most common mistakes and corrections; such as bones that didn't set right and had to be rebroken to properly heal." Fluttershy's face paled at these words, but she didn't say anything, so the doctor continued with a sigh. "However, I have difficulty believing anypony was that lucky, with the number and severity of the injuries we observed. It's possible that whoever healed the wounds knew some secret, or was simply skilled enough, that they could overcome the flaws inherent to rapid healing spells, both of which raise their own concerns." He shook his head. "Until our patient wakes up, there is little we can do but speculate."

Celestia nodded slowly. "What comes next?" she asked.

"I sent Nurse Minty over to Canterlot General to try and find out who the colt is, and if he has any family," the doctor said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "If we do find them, I believe I'm going to have some _words_ for them."

"I agree," Celestia said, an uncharacteristic edge in her voice. Twilight knew her mentor well enough to know that the easiest way to make her angry was to hurt her subjects, especially the young. "May we see him now?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Dr. Steady Hoof said. "If he awakens while you're with him, please inform me as soon as possible." With that, he made his way back to the desk he had been working at before Twilight arrived.

"We probably shouldn't crowd him too much," Cadance said. "Shining and I will wait out here." Celestia nodded as she led the others into the room just as the third nurse left.

"Hmmm…" Luna said, her horn glowing. "A shame, his dreams are too muddled for me to discover anything. The good news is that he seems to be sleeping peacefully."

"Wonderful," Celestia said. "Now, my little ponies, would you please place your Elements near him for a moment."

One by one, Twilight's friends stepped forward and lay their Elements down on the colt's bedside table, and one by one, the Elements started shining. By the end, as five necklaces cast a rainbow glow on the colt's dark coat, Celestia and Luna were looking at each other with a worrying amount of surprise.

"I was expecting one, maybe two," Luna said as the Bearers picked their respective Elements up again. "But _all six of them equally_? That's… I don't know what to say, Sister, do you?"

"Only that this could either be a sign of something very good… or very bad," Celestia said slowly.

* * *

Grey eyes slowly opened, before closing again as a painful amount of light assaulted them, even through the dark mane. A few moments later, the unicorn named Minato forced his eyes open again, trying to figure out where he was.

The first thing he noticed was the cluster of figures standing not far from where he lay, talking about something, though his mind was too fuzzy to focus on what. He briefly wondered whether he should get their attention, but decided that he'd wait until his head stopped hurting.

Fate, however, seemed to have different ideas, as the nearest figure… nearest pony, turned to look at him before letting out a huge gasp. "Ooh ooh ooh!" she cried, bouncing towards him. "He's awake! Hi there, I'm _soooo_ happy you're awake! What's your name? I'm Pinkie Pie, and I'm _soooo_ happy to meet you. Well, I guess I kind of met you earlier, but you weren't awake, so I guess that doesn't really count, does it? Ooh, now that you're awake, I'll need to start planning your party, what kind of cake do you like? It's just not a party if the cake isn't liked, and if it's not a party, then that's _terrible_!"

Minato blinked as the violently pink pony continued to chatter. There was only one coherent thought that he could come up with: 'So… much… pink…' and even if he had wanted to give this voice, he doubted he'd be able to get his mouth to work anytime soon.

As the hyperactive pony finally took a breath, another voice cut in. "Easy there, sugarcube, ah don't think he's ready yet." A moment later, Pinkie Pie started sliding back as another pony pulled on her tail, allowing a third pony to make her way to the fore. Minato found himself squinting, thinking for a moment that the sun had come out from behind a cloud behind the tall, majestic figure. It took him a moment to realize that this pony was actually _emitting_ light.

"My apologies, my little pony," a soft, motherly voice said, and the light dimmed back to comfortable levels. "I forgot that your eyes would still be sensitive. Are you alright," Minato could only nod, as he was still trying to get his voice to work properly. The regal pony, her coat pure white under the golden necklace and crown, smiled warmly before glancing over her shoulder as the door opened and three more ponies entered the room.

The leader, a stallion, taller than the pink pony but still much shorter than the shining one, bowed and spoke. "Princess," he said. "May I…"

"Of course, Doctor," the princess said, stepping back and allowing the doctor to take her place at Minato's side.

"Hmmm…" the doctor said, studying Minato critically. "Good, you seem to be fully aware of your surroundings, that is very good. Are you in any pain?"

Minato shook his head. "…No," he croaked, finally clearing his throat. "I'm fine…"

The doctor snorted. "I will be the judge of that, my little pony," he said. "Now," he continued, levitating a clipboard and quill, "what is your name?"

"I'm… Minato. My name is Minato." The doctor quickly scribbled something, likely the name, at the top of the paper attached to the clipboard, though there was a noticeable hesitation. Behind him, one of the other ponies, light blue with a shocking rainbow mane, whispered something to the white-coated pony next to her, but was shushed before Minato could listen in.

"Minato, hmmm… Well, my name is Dr. Steady Hoof, a pleasure to meet you." Once he had finished staring at the paper, he looked up at Minato again. "I'm sure you're still tired, but there are some questions that we need to ask you. Where and when were you born?"

"I…" Minato said. He could feel the answer on the edge of his tongue, but it wouldn't come to him. Blinking, he turned his full attention to his memories, and was stunned at what he found. 'What… what is this… there's nothing here! But how is that possible…' "I… don't know," he choked out, still trying to understand what was going on.

"What do you mean, you don't know!" the cyan pony said. "How…"

"Easy there, Dash, let him talk," the orange pony that had pulled the pink one away said.

"I can't remember anything… it's all blank," Minato said, his eyes squeezing shut as he concentrated. "It's as if there's some fog in my head…"

The sound of metal striking stone was heard, and Minato opened his eyes to see another pony coming closer. She wasn't as tall as the white-coated princess, but was taller than the others, and wore similar regalia over her dark coat. "A fog in your mind," she said. "Perhaps there was some spell cast upon you, to erase your memories. If that is so, then it is possible that I could lift it. Will you allow me?"

Minato was a bit worried at allowing a strange pony to poke around in his head, but in the end the thought of not having memories worried him more. "Please," he said.

"Do not worry, my little pony," the dark pony said, her wings flaring as her horn began to glow. "This will not hurt a bit, I promise you that." A moment later, the strangest feeling engulfed Minato. It was almost as if night itself had fallen in his mind. From within this night, a subtle presence started poking at the fog before suddenly recoiling. "No… this cannot be…" the princess whispered her eyes widening as she took a step backwards

"What is it, Luna?" the other princess said.

"There is magic that is holding back this colt's memories," Princess Luna said. "But it… the magical signature… it is that of the Elements of Harmony!"

Although Minato didn't know what the "Elements of Harmony" were, he had the strangest feeling that he should. The others, it seemed, _did_ know what the Elements were, and were as shocked as Princess Luna, if their jaws dropping meant anything.

Before anypony could give voice to their suprise, the first princess opened her own wings. "Let us not disturb our guest any longer," she said soothingly, though Minato thought he saw a flash of worry in her eyes. Once she had stilled the others, she looked at Minato "I'm sure you have questions, my little pony, but perhaps it is best if they wait for a time." With that, she led the majority of the ponies out of the room, leaving Minato alone with the doctor and his team.

* * *

"This is impossible," Twilight said, glancing at the door. "It's absolutely impossible, the Elements would _never_ do something like this! Besides, they never had _time_, all they did was resonate…"

"The Elements of Harmony have always been something of a mystery, Twilight," Celestia said. "Nopony knows where they came from. They are not sentient, but clearly have some awareness and will of their own. All I can say on the matter is that, if the Elements of Harmony are indeed responsible for this colt's amnesia, there is an important reason." She raised a hoof as Twilight opened her mouth again. "I know you want to help him, Twilight, but I'm afraid that, for the moment, it would be best to wait and see what happens."

"So you're saying that we should just let him forget everything?" Fluttershy whispered, looking horrified.

"But… if you do that…" Pinkie Pie said, her eyes widening. "Then he'll forget all his birthday parties… and his cute-ceañera… his friends… and… and…" She flung herself on the floor at Celestia's hooves, tears leaking out of her eyes. "You can't do that to him! You just can't!"

Celestia knelt down and gently lifted Pinkie Pie's chin with her hoof. "I wish I didn't have to, Pinkie Pie," she said, "but enough has happened that I am worried of the potential consequences of his memories returning. He appeared before a newly crowned alicorn on the very day of her coronation, he resonates with all six of the Elements of Harmony, and yet his memories have been suppressed by them." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie, but for the moment it's just too risky to return his memories."

"But what will happen to him now?" Rarity asked. "We can't just leave him…"

Celestia nodded. "Fear not, my little ponies," she said. "He will be looked after. I'll…"

"Can he stay in Ponyville?" Twilight asked. "I mean, if something happens, and his memories _have_ to be restored, it'd be best if he was near the Elements, so that we could help him." Her friends all nodded and murmured their agreement. Celestia studied Twilight quietly before glancing at Luna, who nodded as well.

"Very well, Twilight," she said. "If that is your wish, then we shall trust your judgment on the matter. All I ask is that you be careful."

"We will!" Pinkie said, leaping back to her hooves, a bright smile once more on her face. "And while we're at it, we'll throw all sorts of make-up parties for him! Let's see, seventeen birthday parties, one cute-ceañera, oh, I'll have to ask about his cutie mark for that one, but wait he doesn't have any memories... that'll be tricky, can't have a proper cute-ceañera without knowing about the cutie mark… hmm…"

Twilight couldn't help but laugh warmly as Applejack reached over to a nearby fruit-bowl, grabbed an apple, and pushed it into Pinkie's mouth. "We'll focus on that later, sugarcube," she said. "For the moment, there are some other things we need to talk about, like where he's gonna stay." She looked around. "Ah think it'd be best if he came to Sweet Apple Acers; we've got room for a guest." The other girls nodded, Applejack's home was the best option.

Celestia glanced out the window for a moment before speaking. "Well, Twilight, I trust that you and your friends will be able to look after him, I'm afraid I must take my leave; the nobility are likely wondering what has happened. Luna, if you would like to join me?" The second alicorn nodded, and the pair made their way out of the infirmary, followed by their guards, and a moment later the elder princesses were gone.

Shining Armor and Cadance, however, stayed. "It won't be long before we need to return to the Crystal Empire," Shining Armor said with a grin, "But that doesn't mean we can't spend some time with you before that." Twilight beamed as she leaned forward and gave her brother a nuzzle.

Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, had finished chewing the apple Applejack had silenced her with and continued her thought. "What do you think his cutie mark means? At first I though 'Oh! A mask! He must be a clown!' but then I thought 'But that mask looks super-duper grim, not happy!' so I'm confused."

"You have a point, darling," Rarity said. "I thought at first he might work in drama, but his… _injuries…_" her eyes narrowed slightly as she spat the word out, "indicated that there's something else going on." Her eyes trailed to the door. "I do hope he'll be alright."

"I'm surprised he was as calm as he was," Cadance said. "I can't imagine what it would feel like to try to remember something, only to find nothing. I'd probably panic…" She shivered, causing Shining Armor to lean over and give her a reassuring nuzzle. "I'm happy you wanted to help him, Twilight."

"Yeah," Twilight said. "I think… that there's a reason that he appeared near me, and that it would be best if I stayed close. Besides, I… just couldn't walk away and leave him, knowing that the Elements were responsible for what happened to him."

A moment of silence filled the waiting room before Applejack spoke. "So, how long do y'all think it's going to be before he's up and about?"

Just as she said this, the door to the room opened and Dr. Steady Hoof stepped out, followed by Minato, who was walking fairly steadily for somepony who had just woken to find he had no memories. "Ah, Your Highnesses," the doctor said, inclining his head as soon as he saw Twilight and Cadance. "I'm sorry to have kept you."

"It's alright," Twilight said before smiling at the dark-coated colt standing next to the doctor. "How are you feeling?" Twilight asked him, trying to mimic Celestia's gentle voice.

"Fine, Your Highness," he said, bowing as well. Twilight was surprised a just how calm he seemed; even when he had first realized that his memories were gone, all she'd seen were shadows of fear rather than a full-blown panic; and now his face was almost completely impassive.

'Perhaps that's why his cutie mark is a mask…' Twilight thought, but she pushed that out of her mind and instead nodded and kept smiling. "That's good to hear. I don't think I've told you my name. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends…"

She was bumped out of the way a moment later by a blur of hyperactive pink, which started jumping up and down in front of Minato. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, but I already told you that! I'm so happy too see you up and about, because when you were laying down you looked so sad, and that made me sad, but now you're up! Now we can…" Suddenly, Pinkie Pie stopped mid bounce, hovered for a moment, before gasping and dashing out the door.

"Well, that was interesting," Minato said, something between surprise and amusement leaking into his otherwise stoic voice. Twilight was once again impressed; he was certainly handling Pinkie's antics better than she would have in his hooves.

"Don't worry about that none, that's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie," Applejack said, stepping forward and holding out a hoof. "Name's Applejack, pleasure to meet you." Minato nodded as he shook her hoof, though there might have been a slight hesitation.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said, nudging the farm-pony out of the way. "Not that there's anything wrong with that; Pinkie is pretty cool. I'm Rainbow Dash, by the way." She grinned as Minato inclined his head briefly. "I've been wondering, does your name mean something in another language, because…"

"Rainbow Dash! Stop being so uncouth!" Rarity cried. "Badgering the poor colt about something like that; although I will admit it is a rather uncommon name. But still, that's no reason to harass him."

Minato shook his head. "I don't mind," he said. "From what I've heard, my name probably does sound strange. Even I think that there's something missing from it…" he shook his head. "But what's your name?"

"Such a gentlecolt," Rarity said, beaming. "My name is Rarity, a pleasure to meet you." A long moment of silence filled the room before she looked at Fluttershy. "Well, you're next, darling."

"Eep… Um, I'm Fluttershy," the butter-yellow pegasus said before retreating behind Rainbow Dash. When it became clear she wasn't going to say anything else, Twilight stepped back towards Spike, Shining Armor and Cadance. "And these are my brother and sister-in-law, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance; leaders of the Crystal Empire, and my number one assistant, Spike."

Minato bowed to them. "An honor to meet you," he said quietly.

"To you as well," Cadance said. "I'm glad to see you're in good spirits, despite what has happened to you."

Minato nodded, a flash of… something passing over his face before the mask reasserted itself. "My thanks for all you've done for me already," he said. "That was very kind of you."

"Well, we weren't going to just leave you," Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes. "I mean, really, what kind of ponies do you take us for?"

Minato slowly nodded. "May I ask you a question?" he said finally. "What are the Elements of Harmony? It… feels like I should know something about them, but I don't."

'That's interesting,' Twilight thought. 'That indicates that he remembers them, but those memories are blocked like the rest. But… how is that possible, We were the ones who rediscovered them, and none of us have ever seen him before.' She covered her worries up with a smile. "These are the Elements," she said, gesturing to her crown and her friends' necklaces. "We don't know why the covered up your memories, but don't worry, we'll do everything we can to help you." She turned to Dr. Steady Hoof, "Is it alright for him to move around?"

"It should be," he said. "Aside from the things we… discussed, he's perfectly healthy. Just don't push him too hard, and if anything comes up, bring him right back." With that, he bowed to Twilight again and made his way back to his desk.

"Well, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said. "We should probably go find Pinkie, I'm sure she's up to something, and I have a feeling I know where." She grinned at Minato. "Why don't you come along, I'm sure you're dying to get out of here." The colt nodded, falling into step.

It didn't surprised Twilight that, when the group found Pinkie Pie, she was putting the finishing touches on a party. The new princess had suspected that Pinkie, known for taking any excuses to celebrate, would set something up for her coronation in spite of the fact that there was an official celebration later in the night (Ever since the Gala, Pinkie had been highly suspicious of "official parties.") What did surprise Twilight, however, was the fact that Pinkie had somehow already baked a new cake, decorated it, and painted several signs reading "Happy Waking-Up Party, Minato!"

"SURPRISE!" Pinkie shouted, bouncing happily around the group. "I was hoping you'd show up soon, because a party's not much fun if nopony shows up. I thought about sending invitations, but I couldn't find any cards, so I just had to hope that Dashie remembered where I said I was going to throw the party." She smiled at Minato. "And when I was talking to you, I had a great idea! Since there was already going to be a party, I could make it a double party, which is of course double the fun! So then I went 'Gasp!' and ran off, and now here you are! Have a cupcake!"

Minato's eyes flicked from the cupcake to the two full-sized ones behind Pinkie to the banners before finally turning to Pinkie herself. "You put a lot of effort into this for somepony you don't really know," he said.

"Yuppy-duppy," Pinkie said happily. "What better way is there to make friends with a pony than to throw them a party; everypony loves parties." Her grin slowly faded. "Do you… not like it?"

Minato shook his head. "It's not that, I… guess I'm still a bit overwhelmed."

"That ain't surprising," Applejack said, grabbing a cupcake of her own. "As ah said, Pinkie's quite energetic." She nodded to the cupcake in Minato's hooves. "Still, you should probably eat that, it's quite good."

"Thank you," Minato said after a long moment.

Twilight found herself smiling as she watched her friends and family drawing the newcomer in as if he had been with them for as long as she had. True, such behavior was normal for Pinkie; as far as the pink pony was concerned, the world was divided into current friends and future friends. The others, on the other hoof, were usually a bit more reserved. Still, they were all going out of their way to help Minato adapt.

She supposed it was only fair, after all, it was their Elements that had taken the his memories from him. They were all probably feeling as bad about it as Twilight felt: no matter what the poor colt had endured in the past, was erasing his memories really the best answer? And what about his resonance with the Elements, and the fact that he fallen from the sky almost perfectly into her hooves. That had to mean something… the only question was what.

"Are you alright, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, pawing at the ground as she peeked at Twilight.

The newly-crowned alicorn smiled. "Yes, I am. Sorry, Fluttershy," she said.

"That's nice," the butter-yellow pegasus said before leaning forward and nuzzling Twilight. "Everything will be fine, Twilight. I think Minato's a good pony, we'll make sure nothing else bad happens to him." Twilight nodded, glancing at Minato as Pinkie Pie somehow convinced him to put on a blindfold and play pin-the-tail-on-the-pony.

'Whatever will come will come,' she thought. 'And so long as I have my friends, we'll get through alright. I shouldn't mope, today's a happy day. Surely nothing bad will happen, not for a while.' Giving Fluttershy a smile, she stepped forward to join the celebration.

* * *

That night, deep within the Everfree Forest, absolute silence filled the air. This was far more unusual than it sounded: even in the darkest of nights, there is always the rustle of the wind in the trees and the calls of nocturnal creatures. On this night, however, none of these things could be heard.

In a cave, a mighty creature slept, resting from a successful day of hunting. It was a manticore, one of the most dangerous denizens of the forest, and certainly not something that had to fear for its own safety. Thus, when the grip of silence spread to the entrance of its home, it almost didn't notice. Instinct, however, roused it, and it sleepily raised its massive head, blinking in the light of Luna's moon. A soft growl left its lips as it padded to the entrance of the cave, its terrible stinger raised to fend off whatever had stilled the noise of its domain.

Sharp, catlike eyes scanned the darkened space between the trees, easily piercing darkness that would have had most ponies squinting and stumbling. Finally, it found something it did not expect: a patch of darkness that even it's gaze could not decipher. This was not natural, and it most certainly _did not_ belong in its territory! Bearing his teeth, the manticore let out a rumbling growl, loud enough to ensure that whatever was causing this disturbance knew that it was unwelcome.

Slowly, two red slits appeared in the darkness and it began silently making its way towards the challenger.

A moment later, a pained howl shook the forest, scattering those birds that had been resting… or cowering in terror. Had any creature been foolish enough to stay, the last thing they would have seen was the sight of the manticore's paw being dragged back into its cave, frightfully still.

* * *

Minato's eyes swept the vast expanse of green visible out the window of the train that he was riding, along with Princess Sparkle, her friends, and several guards. It was hard to believe that he had ever forgotten something this beautiful, even because of magic.

He had been taken back to the infirmary after Pinkie Pie's party, so that the doctor could observe him to ensure that there were no "long term side effects" of what had happened, as well as to undo the worst of his scarring. Several times, the staff had attempted to jog his memories of what exactly had happened to him, though it was clear none of them really expected to break through the mental barrier placed by these "Elements of Harmony."

Minato knew he should have been more worried that the wielders of these Elements clearly wanted to keep him around. All he knew about their intentions was what they had told him, and there was always the possibility that they were lying for some reason. However, he found that, despite these thoughts, he couldn't help but trust them. For all their… oddities, his instincts told him that they truly did want to help him in whatever way they could. Besides, it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go: one of the nurses had returned to the infirmary not long after himself and informed Dr. Steady Hoof that there were no records of Minato's existence in the medical files at Canterlot General Hospital, and that it was unlikely that any of the other hospitals would know more. As far as anypony knew, Minato hadn't existed before he appeared above Princess Sparkle.

The doctors clearly expected Minato to be distressed by this knowledge, but he realized that he didn't mind much. It would give him time to be closer to the Elements, something that interested him. The princess had insisted the Elements had not blocked his memories on their orders; and if that was true, then he had to have interacted with them sometime before. This was apparently impossible, as the six of them had been the ones to re-discover the Elements, and if he had somehow found them almost two years before, his memories would have been erased _then, _leaving some inkling of what had transpired afterwards.

He had wondered aloud if it was possible he had somehow traveled through time, but Princess Sparkle thought that was very unlikely: while there was at least one spell for going back in time, it didn't allow for long-term travel, and it was considered impossible to go forward in time, which left them back at square one, with far more questions than answers.

"Ummm…" a soft voice drew Minato out of his thoughts and to the shy yellow pegasus named Fluttershy. "Are you alright? You haven't said anything since we got on the train."

Minato nodded slowly. "I'm fine, thank you Fluttershy," he said, turning to look at the nervous mare.

"You sure about that?" Applejack said, glancing up from her conversation with Rainbow Dash and making her way over. "You don't look so good, Minato. Didn't you get some sleep last night?"

"A little," Minato said. His dreams hadn't been particularly conducive to a restful sleep; strange, undulating darkness and murmurs that he couldn't understand. It wouldn't have been as bad if he could have learned something from them, like who he was or where he had come from, but there hadn't been anything in them that gave any hints.

Princess Sparkle noticed what was going on and closed her book as she joined the conversation. "Nightmares?" she asked, a note of pity in her voice. Minato simply nodded, his eyes returning to the window. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Your Highness" Minato said. "Just shadows and sounds, nothing useful."

There was a slightly tense silence at Minato's words before Princess Sparkle continued. "Well, if you ever need anything, we'll all be here for you." The other ponies quickly murmured (or, in Pinkie's case, giggled) their agreement with their friend's words, causing a tight smile to appear on Minato's face.

"I might just hold you all too that," he said.

"So you do have a sense of humor after all!" Rainbow Dash said, grinning as she gave Minato a friendly nudge. "And here I was thinking you'd lost that along with your memories!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity snapped. "Must you continuously make light of Minato's plight? Imagine if it was _you_ who…"

"I don't mind," Minato said, glancing over his shoulder at the white unicorn. "You're all doing enough for me that I'm willing to put up with a few barbs. Besides, I think I've gotten used to it now."

Rarity huffed. "Still, it's not right for Rainbow Dash to be insensitive about it."

Minato shook his head and looked out the window again as the pegasus retaliated and the two started to bicker. For some reason, it didn't bother him that two friends were going at each other like those two. 'Perhaps I had friends like that, once,' he thought.

He blinked; thoughts like that hadn't occurred to him before. He'd wondered where the injuries had come from while Dr. Steady Hoof had been erasing them, he'd pondered what his family was like when the nurse had told him that there wasn't any sign of them in the medical records, but he'd never thought about friends. For some reason, this felt like a grievous oversight on his part. Eventually, he shook the thought out of his head, the foggy wall of the memory spell was far to strong for him to simply think it away. For the time being, he'd have to get used to his new situation.

"Alright, girls, that's enough," Princess Sparkle said, spreading her wings as she stepped between her friends. "Let's not fight." She smiled wryly at Minato. "Sorry about all that."

He nodded simply. "I don't mind."

"You say that a lot, sugarcube," Applejack said. "Either you're naturally the most passive pony Ah've ever met, or that memory stuff really did do something to you." She shrugged as she glanced out the window. "Well, we're almost home, anyways."

"OH!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing over to the window and pressing her nose against it. "I'm so excited! I need to prepare for the 'Ponyville-has-its-own-princess' party and the…" She was silenced a moment later by an apple in the mouth.

"Always keep some on hoof when Pinkie's around," Applejack said. "Now, as Ah was about to say before the party pony got going, I'm pretty sure I mentioned this yesterday, but you'll be staying at Sweet Apple Acers, at least for a while." She pointed towards a tree-covered hill overlooking the small town that the train was trundling towards. "That's it, right over there."

Minato slowly nodded, his gaze sweeping the rest of the village before raising a hoof. "What's that, over there?" he asked, pointing at the dark wall of trees on the opposite side of town.

"That's the Everfree Forest, one of the only truly wild places in Equestria. It'd be best if you didn't go there, it's not safe," Princess Sparkle said, glancing at Minato. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Minato said, not taking his eyes off the forest. "It's just…" he shook his head. "Nothing, it's nothing."

"Maybe there's something in your memories that the Everfree reminds you of," Spike said. "I mean, that's where the Elements were before Twilight and the others found them."

"No," Minato said slowly. "It's not like that…"

"Then what is it like?" Princess Sparkle asked, a note of worry entering her voice.

Minato closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts. "I really don't know," he said finally. "There's just something about that forest… a darkness…"

"Well, the Everfree is darn creepy," Applejack said. "You probably just noticed it faster than most ponies. Don't worry none; there are some monsters in there, but they almost never come out, and if they do, we'll stop them. You're safe with us."

Minato didn't answer, his eyes finally leaving the Everfree Forest and looked back at Ponyville. As the train got closer, he began to pick out the individual buildings, including some rather odd-looking ones. Still, it seemed like a nice enough place, and if the rest of the inhabitance were anything like those he had already met, his time there could be... quite nice.

Finally, several minutes later, the train pulled into the station, where it looked like the entire population of Ponyville was gathered, murmuring excitedly.

"What's going on?" Princess Sparkle asked, peeking out the window.

Rarity smiled. "Clearly, they're waiting for _you_, Twilight," she said. "You _are_ a princess now, after all."

The lavender alicorn blinked before swallowing. "Yeah, that's right, isn't it," she said. "I… what do I do now?"

"Ain't nothing to be worried about, sugarcube," Applejack said. "Ah'm sure they're all as happy for you as we are." She gave Twilight a nudge. "Go on, say howdy!"

Princess Sparkle blushed. "I…" Just then, the train came to a halt. "_WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo?_"

"Calm down." Every pony blinked as they turned towards Minato, who had turned to look squarely at the nervous princess. "From everything I've seen of and heard about you, Your Highness, you are a kind, noble princess; one who will bring happiness and prosperity to your ponies. So please, don't doubt yourself. Everypony here believes in you, all that is needed is for you to believe in yourself."

"Minato…" Princess Sparkle whispered.

"He's right, Twilight," Spike said, reaching out and hugging the princess' leg.

"Yep," Applejack said. "That's the honest truth."

"Besides," Rainbow Dash said, wrapping a foreleg around Twilight's withers. "Even if something goes wrong, we're still right here with you. You don't have to do this alone."

Rarity nodded. "If you ever need anything at all, darling, we'll be there for you. That's what friends do for each other."

"I think you'll be a great princess," Fluttershy whispered, peeking past her mane.

Pinkie didn't say anything, simply bounced forward and gave Princess Sparkle a big hug.

Twilight looked between her friends, her eyes shimmering "Thank you, all of you," she whispered finally.

A cough came from behind the group, and everypony turned around to see one of the guards standing beside the door. "They are ready for you, Your Highness."

Princess Sparkle took a deep breath and raised her head. "Alright, I'm ready," she said finally, spreading her wings. "Come on, everypony, let's do this together." Her friends and assistant quickly gathered around her, but as Minato tried to fade back, she met his eyes and smiled. "You too, Minato, Come on, with us."

Slowly, the colt stepped forward to stand with the others. "You've done so much for me, how could I not repay you, Princess," he said, allowing a small smile onto his face.

The princess's own smile widened. "Minato, you can just call me Twilight, you know. I'd be honored if you'd be my friend." After a long moment, Minato agreed, and Twilight turned and nodded to the guard standing by the door. He bowed briefly before sliding the door open and stepping out in perfect unison with his partner. Twilight waited a long moment before leading the way forward, out of the train car and into the hooves of the cheering crowd.

_AN: Wow. Writing Pinkie Pie is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Tell me if you think I did it at all right. Meanwhile, there's action next chapter, I swear. _

_Anyways, please read, like, and review._


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